Hooked curb service tray



J. BROWN HOOKED CURB SERVICE TRAY Filed March 8, 1954:

INVENTOR. J04 aw fl/voww United States Patent HOOKED CURB SERVICE TRAY Julius Brown, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application March 8, 1954, Serial No. 414,784

1 Claim. (Cl. 311-22) This invention relates to a service tray, and more particularly to a hooked supporting stand or box for paper cups, bags and the like received by concession stand patrons at drive-in theatres and the like.

As is well known, a remarkably high volume of business in the food and soft drink field is done by operators of drive-in theatres and the like. In order to encourage the purchases by patrons of .concession stand wares, the operators frequently provide a cardboard box of throwaway character to support the soft drink cups, popcorn and peanut bags and the like. Such boxes are placed by the users upon their laps, upon the seat of the car or upon the dashboard. But regardless of where it is placed there is a probability that sooner or later, for one reason or another, some of the contents will inadvertently be spilled or dumped onto the clothing of the patrons or upon the upholstery of the automobile. This rather commonplace occurrence results from the fact that the seat or dashboard, as the case may be, is not level, and further from the fact that there is little light in such drive-in theatres. It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a box or tray which may safely be supported in a level position within convenient reach of the patron.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a box or tray of the character described which is specifically designed for attachment to the windows of an automobile. By so providing, the height at which the tray is supported may readily be adjusted. Furthermore, the patron will always know just where the box is, which is something he frequently is not mindful of when using the aforementioned conventional boxes since he is concentrating on the moving picture being shown and usually reaches around blindly for the food or drink.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a tray or box of the character described which is inexpensive, may be formed of a single blank of material and is of disposable character.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a lightweight box or tray of the character described which may be folded before use in such manner as to take up a minimum amount of space, both storage and shipment.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claim:

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention being supported by the window of an automobile.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the invention showing it after it has been stamped from a single blank of material, and prior to assembly.

In the drawings the invention is shown generally at 10, it comprising a one piece stamping of cardboard, fibre board or the like. The stamping comprises the base portion 11, the sides 12, the ends 13 and 14, and the tabs 13a and 14a respectively. After stamping, the invention is scored to facilitate ready folding along score lines 11a, 13b and 1412, lines 11a separating the bottom panel from the side and end walls.

As shown in Fig. l the invention is assembled to form a substantially rectangular box or tray in which the panels 13 and 14 form the ends whereas the panels 11 and 12 form the bottom and sides respectively. The tabs 13a and 14a are folded inwardly along their respective score lines 1312 and 14b and when the end walls are also folded inwardly along score lines 11a, the tabs add support and rigidity to the assembled structure after first being glued or otherwise suitably connected to the adjacent side walls. These tabs are formed at each end of the end walls as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be observed that the end walls are gradually tapered from one end thereof to the other so that they have a depth or height substantially greater than either of the sides. It will also be noted that the hook portion 15 is formed on that extremity of each end wall that is of greater depth or height. The hooks extend beyond the vertical plane of the adjacent side wall. when in assembled condition, and beyond the score line 110 when in the flat, i. e. beyond that line 11a that divides the adjacent side wall and the bottom. They engage the automobile window 16 by which the box is supported. The hooks are of sufficient length to attach the tray to the window and yet are short enough to enable them and the flaps 13a and 14a to be stamped from. the same blank of material (see Fig. 2). In short, the tabs 13a and 14a should be of a certain size and, of course, the hooks must be of a certain length in order to operate effectively. Yet with the present invention both the hooks and the tabs may be stamped from the same blank of material as the rest of the box or tray. This is shown in Fig. 2 where the hooks and the adjacent tabs are both capable of being, and are, formed because of the greater depth of the inclined end wall. The hooks each turn inwardly towards, and are slightly spaced from, the adjacent tab and are in the same plane therewith when in flat unassembled condition.

The score lines are so located that the sides and ends may be folded downwardly and inwardly upon the bottom in a facile way so that when not in use the box may be folded compactly. A minimum amount of storage and transportation space is thus required.

In operation, the concession stand employee takes one of the boxes from a stack of folded boxes and with one motion opens it so that it will be in the use position shown in Fig. 1. The food or drink wares and their containers are next placed in the box which is then handed to the patron who carries it to his automobile and lowers it so that the window enters slots 17. The box will then be supported in a safe and level position within easy reach of the occupants of the automobile.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claim are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

A service tray comprising a bottom panel and side and end walls formed of a fibre board type material, said end walls each being similarly tapered to provide gradually increasing height in said end walls from one end thereof to the other, and a tab and hook formed at the higher end of each end wall, said tab being hingedly connected to said higher end and engageable with the inner surface of the adjacent side wall for adding strength thereto and said hook projecting beyond the vertical plane of the ad jacent side wall for engagement with the window-pane of an automobile.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wi-lton May 26, 1896 Mott Jan. 6, 1925 Thompson Mar. 13, 1934 Gilbert Sept. 18, 1934 4 McGinley Oct. 13, 1942 Reachi Feb. 15, 1944 Mabry Jan. 18, 1949 Woodward June 13, 1950 Ullrich Feb. 24, 1953 Tomarin July 12, 1955 

